Alain, it was tough.. I wanted to jump right in and help but the crew was all set with plenty of brakeman and Steve P. as conductor. Something he was very comfortable doing. My sister said he had a great voice for it (deep and clear).

I have been a participant in several events thrown by the museum, but never a patron.. So today I was. But, I did give the family a guided tour. So does that count as working?? We even visited the bridge..

Thanks for the kind words guys. I do love serving as conductor, and it is my pleasure to get people to their destination safely, and help them enjoy their time visiting the railway. The not yelling but being able to be heard thing is definitely a teacher thing.

One of the nice benefits of coming into Sheepscot with just the last vestibule on the platform is the privilege of personally thanking each of our passengers for traveling with us as they detrain and sharing a last moment with them.

I find that I don't talk too much about the railroad, other than usually touching on where the railway ran (based on our ticket) why narrow gauge was used, and some of the impacts the railroad had on life. Mostly, I want to know who our riders are, where they come from, why they are visiting us and how they are doing. Railroad therapy, as it were. The personal connection is real- in its day, the narrow gauge had a small number of conductors and they developed meaningful relationships and friendships with their passengers- that is part of the experience I strive to capture.

Work ("Steam and Saws") train X52 departed Sheepscot at 8.55 a.m. for the end of track, site of Saturday's tree clearing on our Mountain Extension. The trip took a bit longer than expected. A few photos why.

Looking south at Brook Crossing toward Sheepscot. Snow, rain and an overnight hard freeze ensured flangeways at crossing were encased in ice between Sheepscot and Alna Center.

Looking north at Brook Crossing, as our intrepid volunteers cleared the crossing.

We reached Alna Center around 10 a.m. From there, the trip was much quicker, although we found this on the north main line stub switch at Top of Mountain.

We reached end of track on the Mountain a litle before 10.30 a.m. I'll post more photos on the Mountain Extension thread shortly.

Orange/bright clothing is pretty much mandatory for track work during hunting season. Keep it around; just avoid wearing it on public operating days (especially during photo charters.) See the "Sources for Period Clothing" thread for ideas on appropriate threads.